Green tea extract boosts cognitive performance.

A new study from the University of Basel has demonstrated that green tea extract enhances cognitive function. The study was published in the journal Psychopharmacology and revealed that green tea increases the ability of different brain regions to connect with each other and thus improved the ability of one brain area to exert influence over another area.

Healthy male volunteers received a soft drink containing several grams of green tea extract before they solved specific working memory tasks. Subjects tested significantly better for working memory tasks after the admission of green tea extract. Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to analyze the impact on brain activity and showed increased connectivity between the parietal and the frontal cortex of the brain. “Our findings suggest that green tea might increase the short-term synaptic plasticity of the brain,” said Professor Stefan Borgwardt, the second co-author of this study.

The research is especially relevant to patients suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders such as dementia and/or Alzheimers who could positively benefit from increased cognitive function.